Kmart in Burbank joins Kmart, Sears stores across the country in shutting their doors

The Kmart store in Burbank — and dozens of Kmart and Sears stores across the country — are now on the chopping block.

Sears Holdings, the company that owns Kmart and Sears, recently announced that 80 of its stores will be closing by late March as a way to “accelerate its strategic transformation,” according to a statement released late last month.

The corporation has been in financial hardship over the past few years.

It had a round of store closures in 2018 and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October.

On Thursday, dozens of shoppers visited the Burbank Kmart, 1000 N. San Fernando Blvd., which had a banner that read “Store Closing” next to the department store’s logo.

Almost every item in the store was discounted, ranging between 10% and 40% off.

There were also signs letting shoppers know that all jewelry was 70% off.

Sisters-in-law Christine and Bonnie Graboyes were driving through Burbank and saw the closure signs on the store. So, they decided to stop by.

The Sunland residents said they used to frequent the Kmart near where they live until it closed several years ago.

“I’ve always shopped at Kmart and I love it,” Bonnie Graboyes said. “They have good stuff, and I usually find what I want.”

She added that she thinks that Kmart is better than other department stores like Target and Walmart because she finds items are more affordable.

“You can find what you want at a fraction of the cost,” Christine Graboyes said.

The women ended up buying boxes of tissues, cat food, rug cleaner, Christmas cards and multiple pairs of pants.

Bonnie Graboyes said those are the only pants that fit her.

“We’ll be stopping by before it closes for good,” Christine Graboyes said.

While the sisters-in-law said they were sad to see the Burbank Kmart closing because they like shopping at Kmart, Burbank residents Ron and Sue Casella were one of the many people who stopped by to see if they could get a good deal on some items during the store’s closing.

Sue Casella said she and her husband were looking for dorm items for their son, but they ended up not buying anything for a dorm because the markdowns weren’t great.

She added that her family would often shop at Sears for appliances, but admitted that it had been quite some time since she bought anything in Kmart.

“It just wasn’t really convenient for us,” Ron Casella said.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio